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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23466589">Wife</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peluchito/pseuds/Peluchito'>Peluchito</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:21:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,054</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23466589</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peluchito/pseuds/Peluchito</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It starts with a wedding.</p><p>A story of badass women; may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>82</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first fic on AO3 and my first foray into fanfiction in several years. I'll admit, I'm not 100% sure where this fic is going yet - but I can promise it will be full of badass female leads who refuse to let the men in their lives control their choices, opportunities, and bodies. Primarily a Sakura story, but will feature other women, maybe even some unconventional ones.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sakura Kato was born to become a wife.</p><p>Her name was given both as a homage to her petal pink hair as well as to the fragility of life for girls set to become kunoichi. She walked with a grace that was rarely seen in girls her age, even from those who were the children of shinobi clans. But Sakura was not raised in a shinobi clan to just become a shinobi.</p><p>She was raised to become a wife.</p><p>In a perfect world, the title of Senju clan head would have been hers. Hashirama Senju, one of the founders and the First Hokage of the village of Konoha, was her great grandfather. His eldest son, Hayate Senju, was Sakura's grandfather. Hayate and Tsubane Senju gave birth to two children, Tsunade and Nawaki. Tsunade was Sakura's own mother and she, herself, was Tsunade and Dan Kato's only child.<br/>
In a perfect world, Sakura Kato would be Sakura Senju and she would govern the Senju Clan as was her birthright. </p><p>But, the world is far from perfect.</p><p>The Senju, like many of the oldest families, only passed power patrilineality. So, despite the fact that Nawaki was more than ten years younger than his sister, the day of his birth marked the passing of heirship to him, instead of to his elder cousin, Renjiro.<br/>
Sakura had tried for her entire life to not resent her Uncle Nawaki or his son, Ryou, for their positions. But that was a herculean task for a bitter young girl. Ryou's sister, Tenten tended to commiserate with Sakura, cursing the invisible rules that governed Senju girls. </p><p>They were both raised to become wives instead of leaders. </p><p>It left a bitter taste to be sure. </p><p>The pair suffered through flower arranging classes and lessons in seduction when they weren't learning battle techniques and kata stances. Even while attending the academy, the two girls never had a hair out of place. Tenten's hair was always immaculately braided into twin buns on either side of her head. While Sakura's own was braided into a crown. It was a Senju tradition to maintain their braids until marriage. Women in the head family were also not allowed to cut their hair until marriage. Even following marriage, it was traditional to keep it long, to honor their ancestors and history.</p><p>Both girls despised it. </p><p>But they still walked out with their hair braided and their posture immaculate. </p><p>"Listen," Grandmother Tsubane spoke one day, "You are going to become powerful kunoichi, of course, but you will be more than that," She leaned in conspiratorially, "You are going to be wives." </p><p>"But Grandmother, I want to be more than just a wife! I want to be strong like Grandfather Hashirama, Great Uncle Tobirama, and Uncle Dan and become Hokage!" Tenten exclaimed.</p><p>Tsubane tutted, "If you work hard enough, you might be the Hokage's wife. That, my dear is a far more fitting role for you. You will give him children, sleep in his bed, whisper sweet nothings into his ear, and along with that, perhaps you will provide him with ideas.” Her green eyes turned cold, “But you will always be working for the benefit of the Senju." </p><p>"And if they are going against the interests of the Senju," a wicked gleam covered Tsubane's face, "You will put a stop to it, by force if you must. After all, that is why you are also allowed to become kunoichi." </p><p>But before Sakura was a kunoichi, before she was the potential future wife of someone important, before she was even a Senju, she was a Kato. She was the daughter of Tsunade Senju Kato, the most esteemed medical ninja in all the Land of Fire, and Dan Kato, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.</p><p>And before Tsunade and Dan were the director to the most advanced hospital in the Five Great Nations and the Fourth Hokage, they were Sakura's parents.</p><p>“Papa,” a ten-year-old Sakura sat atop her father’s desk, swinging her feet back and forth, “Grandmother Tsubane told Tenten and I that we are destined to marry powerful men in the future and that we should not concern ourselves with becoming Hokage or anything of that nature.” She worried her lip, “But Papa, I want to be just like you.” </p><p>Dan leaned back in his chair and turned away from his vast amounts of paperwork. He examined his daughter for a moment; even in her childish pose, her posture was immaculate, her pastel pink hair was braided delicately around her small head, and her swinging feet were moving in perfect rhythm. He pushed a single loose strand of hair behind her ear, "My Blossom, you are so intelligent and brave and beautiful, and your path is your own to choose. If you want to become Hokage one day, I will support you every step of the way. I love you, my beautiful girl. Now, run along sweet girl, go play with Ino and Tenten." He then kissed her cheek and shooed her out of the Hokage's Office.</p><p>And as the three girls spent their afternoon braiding flower crowns in the fields, Sakura had no idea how dramatically her life was about to change. </p><p>As dusk fell and the girls headed back to the Senju Compound for dinner, hundreds of enemy nin rained destruction upon the village. The girls were quickly found and whisked away to safety with words of comfort. </p><p>There were seemingly countless casualties of shinobi and civilians alike, but none hit the village harder than the loss of the Fourth. Dan Kato fell in the attack, defending the hospital and the thousands who resided inside, including his own wife.</p><p>In her grief, Tsunade resigned from the hospital before another Hokage was chosen, kissed her daughter, and headed to the front lines of the battlefield.</p><p>Sakura had not seen her since. </p><p>Now, at twenty-one, Sakura would be attending her own wedding without either of her parents. Her Uncle Nawaki would be standing in for her father and her Aunt Yue would stand-in for her mother. Sakura's face was beautifully painted, her hair elaborately braided with vibrantly colored flowers weaved into her crown, her kimono was white as snow with her namesake embroidered along the collar in pale pink. The inside of one sleeve held the crest of the Senju while the other held the crest of her betrothed.</p><p>As the music began, Sakura made her way towards the rest of her life. </p><p>Sakura Kato was born to become a wife.</p><p>But Sakura Uchiha was not.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's chapter 2! Let me know what you think!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I think that we should marry." </p>
<p>I barely stopped myself from spewing the drink of water I had taken, "Excuse me?"</p>
<p>“The elders have been pressuring me to find a wife. They've given me a book full of potential matches and are expecting me to come to them with a decision within the month.” </p>
<p>I rolled my eyes. "Surely you do not expect me to believe that I am among the choices. I am a Senju, your clan would be furious.” I took the moment to admire my companion’s features. He had high cheekbones and a pointed nose that spoke of his distinguished upbringing and his dark hair and eyes spoke of his clan. It sometimes surprised me how similar the facial features of the Uchiha resembled those of the Senju. It spoke to a possible shared lineage long ago though neither clan would ever admit to the possibility.</p>
<p>“You're not a Senju, Sakura. You are a Kato.” </p>
<p>“Itachi, you're the heir to the Uchiha, I very much doubt that they will bother with technicalities.”</p>
<p>Itachi brushed his fingers against my cheek and my thoughts stopped short. "Your father was very good to the Uchiha, he made remarkable strides in ensuring that the Uchiha would be offered a fair seat at the table. Especially after everything that happened with the Nine-Tails. He was an incredible Hokage and even some of the most traditional elders of my clan think of him fondly. You are not within my list of suitors, but if we tell them that we've been having relations..."</p>
<p>My jaw dropped and I openly gaped, "You want me to tell my clan that I am no longer chaste? You have to be joking, Itachi." I looked away, "Besides, they would not believe it, it is well known that you would never disrespect a woman like that." </p>
<p>"Sakura, I know that they've been pressuring you..." He trailed off again.</p>
<p>I sighed but acquiesced, "Yes they have been… sending me on supervised outings."</p>
<p>He tensed, it was hardly noticeable, but I had known Itachi for a very long time now and was well acquainted with his tells, "With whom?"</p>
<p>"Well, I'm being pushed primarily towards Shikamaru Nara. We've been on several supervised outings at this point, but he's head over heels for a kunoichi in Suna. Our families think we would be an excellent match, however, and they will not let up about it, but I doubt Shikaku will force Shikamaru to do anything that he does not want. </p>
<p>“Other than that, there's a distant cousin of mine who is apparently being looked at as a potential future Jonin Commander candidate that the elders think should be brought into the main family and Tenten and I are the only main family women who are of marrying age. Also..." I hesitated.</p>
<p>"Who else?" </p>
<p>"The Kazekage."</p>
<p>"What? They want to send you away to Suna? To be some permanent diplomatic ambassador striped of her kunai?" He clenched his fists tightly. I couldn't remember that last time that I had heard him so quietly angry. </p>
<p>"Itachi, I was raised to become the wife of a powerful man. I was taught how to make the prettiest flower arrangements, what to say or do to make a man want to marry me, how to make myself small and fragile and yet full of grace and poise. I was raised to uphold the will of the Senju in the way that my clan believes is suitable for a woman." I wrapped my fingers around his own. I skimmed over the callouses that he bore from more than two decades of combat, "I was meant to be a tool, to be seen and not heard, to make my voice and hands soft, to be less than, as to not dissuade a future spouse. It is the way that things are for me – for most girls in clans, it is our duty to fulfill."</p>
<p>"But you are not soft or fragile. You are powerful. You make men quiver under your genjutsu, you move mountains with your fists, you can single-handedly beat back death and bring life into this world." He huffed slightly before continuing so quietly that I could barely hear him over the gentle breeze, "You—you are the only woman that I believe could bring glory as the next Uchiha matriarch." He gripped my hand tightly. "You know that I wish to become the next Hokage."</p>
<p>I softened my gaze and nodded, "You will be an amazing Hokage, Itachi. I will support you as much as I can, no matter who I marry, you know that." </p>
<p>"Sakura, I believe that the only possible way for me to become Hokage is to marry a Senju. The council is certainly stacked against the Uchiha, as it has always been, and Minato is as impartial as he can be, but most of the council is pushing for Kakashi or Asuma to take the hat next. Kakashi is distantly related to the Senju and the Sarutobi have intermarried with the Senju for generations now. They both have a significant advantage against me because of that.” His unoccupied hand ran lightly up my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. </p>
<p>“And putting that aside, ignoring all opportunity, ignoring my professional goals, you are the only woman that I have ever seen myself marrying. I cannot think of a single other person who I would want by my side for the rest of my life.” He tilted my face to meet his eyes. <br/>“You have been it for me Sakura since we were children."</p>
<p>"You're the only one that I've ever seen myself marrying as well." I replied quietly. His look of anticipation was certainly mirrored in my own gaze. After a quick scan of the forest surrounding us, Itachi yanked me into his lap, grasped my face between his hands, and his lips met mine. His lips were warm and pliant, and he tasted like green tea with a sweet hint of the dango. I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him as close as I could. No matter how many times I had gotten the chance to kiss him, each time felt different. Most of the time, our kisses held hints of the melancholy of our inevitable end, but today, I only felt hope. </p>
<p>"Let me speak to the clan, we can put in an offer. I will see to it that it would be hard-pressed for your Uncle to refuse." His arms gripped me tightly and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was home. “Please, Sakura, be my wife?” His voice held a slight hint of pleading. He was asking me to trust him; to believe in what we could be.</p>
<p>I was silent, I couldn’t force the words out, so I did the next best thing. I drug him back down for another kiss.<br/>And he smiled into it.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>"I heard that Grandmother and Grandfather have been thinking of requesting an extended mission to Suna for you." Tenten spoke quietly to me over tea one evening. </p>
<p>"To Suna? For what?" Ino asked as she sprawled out over her futon. Ino was uniquely lucky to be unmarried and yet allowed to live alone in her own apartment. Her parents had been quite young when they had her and they were not worried about her having an heir. Ino was also uniquely lucky to be the Yamanaka Clan Heiress as her clan actually went by birth order instead of a patrilineality. Ino's own mother, Kaori, was the current head of the Yamanaka. Whoever Ino married would have to sacrifice their own name and become a Yamanaka. I envied her for it. She had significantly more freedoms than I, Tenten, or our other close friend, Hinata Hyuuga. </p>
<p>“They wish for me to see if a relationship with the Kazekage could be possible.”</p>
<p>“What?” Ino flew into a sitting position, “They want you to marry the Kazekage and move to Suna? What the hell?!” </p>
<p>Hinata remained composed as she daintily sipped at her tea, a true testament to her upbringing, "It makes sense, they want to strengthen the bond between Konoha and Suna while also depositing Senju-positive attitudes in Wind Country. Being Kazehime is different than being the Hokage's wife. They have significant duties relating to their position while the wife of the Hokage tends to continue the role they had prior if it is prestigious enough or retire and become a housewife." She took a long sip, "Also, Suna has a woefully inadequate medical care in comparison to Konoha. You would likely take charge of the hospital, clean up the medical corps, teach maybe-"</p>
<p>"And never pick up a kunai or carry senbon again." Tenten interjected. Hinata’s monologue faltered momentarily.</p>
<p>"Yes, you would likely never be able to engage in combat training again, never be on the front lines, and likely never be privy to the real politics. You would be a very pretty, tightly controlled, disposable figurehead of peace." She finished.</p>
<p>Hinata, very much unlike Ino, was a Hyuuga and the Hyuuga were known to be even more strict and rigid than the Senju. While she was much more familiar with the struggles that Tenten and I had undergone, Hinata had significantly greater barriers to attempt to overcome. She was the eldest of two girls, and this had limited her father’s power exponentially within the clan. Because of this, Hiashi Hyuuga was incredibly vicious to both his children. He would ultimately lose his power to his nephew and this would be a dramatic upset, seeing as Neji Hyuuga had been cast aside as a member of the branch family with his birth. Unless Hinata’s mother, Natsumi, was able to bear a son, Neji would become clan head and completely alter the course of the Hyuuga family forever. Secretly, all of us, including Hinata, supported this and were anticipating it.</p>
<p>"Yes, well, that's the crux of it, isn't it? Outwardly, I would be strong and a leader, but really, I would just be a wife." Tenten squeezed my hand in commiseration. "But, well-" I hesitated, "Itachi has asked me if he could put in an offer."</p>
<p>For a moment, all I can hear is the grasshoppers chirping outside and the loud sounds of the Saturday night filtering in through the window. Then, Ino croaked, "Wait, what? Itachi Uchiha? Or is there another Itachi that you’ve been hiding from all of us?"</p>
<p>I ignored her. "We were talking, and he had heard about the Senju elders pressuring me to find a match. Apparently, the Uchiha elders have also been pushing him as well and he told me that I was the only woman that he ever saw himself marrying." My cheeks flushed red while the girls squealed. “Obviously, it is unrealistic to even hope for a match between Itachi and I. The Uchiha and the Senju will never agree to it, so I’ll likely end up in Suna before autumn.” I sagged into my seat with a sigh.</p>
<p>Tenten ran her fingers around the rim of her teacup in contemplation. "If Itachi can manage to obtain the support of the Uchiha council, I think that father would accept it, Sakura."</p>
<p>I blinked once, twice, three times before a bewildered ‘huh’ passed my lips.</p>
<p>"Itachi is a brilliant shinobi and just might become the next Hokage," Hinata smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, "I think even my father would accept an offer between him and I and you know how he feels about the Uchiha and the mixing of blood."</p>
<p>"Yeah, your grandparents might not love the idea, but I can hardly imagine that Senju-sama would turn down a match between his niece and the man who was the youngest ANBU Captain in history. Itachi is a leading contender for the next Hokage, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was an Uchiha, I would guarantee that he would be next in line.. ." Ino mused as she rattled her teacup against its tray. </p>
<p>Hope welled up in my chest, but I pushed it back down quickly, there was no time to dream about the possibilities that had so suddenly seemed more available than ever.</p>
<p>“So, Hinata, did I see you with a certain Hokage’s son the other day?” I teased.</p>
<p>She flushed bright red and we all broke out into giggles.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>"Sakura, can Yue and I speak with you?" Uncle Nawaki asked as his hand rested lightly on my shoulder. His sandy blonde hair fell well past his shoulders, rendering him completely unrecognizable in comparison to a picture from his youth. Instead, he greatly resembled the pictures I had seen of Great Grandfather Hashirama. His eyes mirrored my mother's almost exactly, and his smile was tight but gentle. He was the closest thing that I had to a father since my own had passed, and he had taken care of me since I lost my parents. I owed quite a lot to Uncle Nawaki and Aunt Yue. </p>
<p>"Of course, Uncle." I followed him into his study. There sitting next to his desk was my Aunt Yue, my Grandfather Hayate and Grandmother Tsubane. I took a seat in front of them instantly understanding what the context of this meeting was about. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.</p>
<p>"Itachi Uchiha has requested your hand in marriage, with the blessing of his clan." Uncle spoke devoid of any discernible emotion.</p>
<p>I nodded and my Grandmother scoffed, "You don't seem surprised about this Sakura."</p>
<p>"Itachi and I have been friends and colleagues for a long time, Grandmother. I am surprised but not overly so." </p>
<p>"Are you still chaste, girl?" Grandfather barked out.</p>
<p>I flushed red, "Of course I am! I would never dishonor our family that way! Neither would Itachi!" </p>
<p>"Sakura, you know that Hayate-sama just had to ask dear, it is rather unheard of for a clan heir to attempt to marry outside of the clan, let alone an Uchiha heir marrying a Senju. It has never happened in the history of our clans." Aunt Yue tried to placate me gently. Her dark hair and eyes mirrored Tenten’s exactly and I tried to relax. </p>
<p>Uncle Nawaki leaned forward in his seat, "Sakura, are you receptive to this suit? All the other suggestions put forward have been rejected by you. I just assumed that you were not ready." </p>
<p>"You should marry that Nara boy! He is a genius! I expect that he will be Konoha's head tactician one day, just like his father." Grandfather interrupted.</p>
<p>"Shikamaru is a dear friend, but he is in love with a girl from Suna, the Kazekage's sister. His parents are unlikely to reject his proposal to her and I doubt the Kazekage will disapprove of his suit.” </p>
<p>"Well, then the Kazekage! That would be a great match!" Tsubane cried.</p>
<p>"I do not know the Kazekage well, but he is notoriously a loner. I do not even know if he would be receptive to a match." I looked away, "I also do not want to have to give up combat so soon."</p>
<p>Tsubane broke out into a harsh laugh, "You are a Senju, girl, you were born to be a wife. Your role to better the Senju through that role. You should be grateful to have even been allowed to be a kunoichi this long! To become Kazehime would place the Senju in the perfect place to maintain control of Konoha and the Land of Fire."</p>
<p>Before I could retort, Uncle spoke, "Itachi is a leading candidate to become Hokage after Minato-sama resigns. He is also the next clan heir to the Uchiha. Dan was an ally to the Uchiha, and the clan is obviously receptive to Sakura. I believe this is a smart match." I tried to hide the shock that I felt. Aunt Yue smiled tightly and nodded in agreement. My grandparents looked terribly annoyed but Hayate rolled his eyes and Tsubane huffed before exiting the study. </p>
<p>Seeing the elders leave the room caused everyone to relax slightly. It was not as if I disliked them, I love my Grandmother and Grandfather, but they were certainly from a different generation of Senju and were much less receptive to the change that Nawaki was attempting to bring to the clan. </p>
<p>Yue focused her gaze on me again, “My darling, are you sure this is what you want? You will likely have a difficult time convincing the Uchiha that you are not just a Senju sent to spy on them in the worst way.” </p>
<p>“Auntie, I understand what you are saying,” I paused, “I have been close to Itachi for a long time. He is one of my closest friends and I truly do believe that he will become Hokage one day. Not only do I think that this is the best match for the Senju, I-I believe that this is the best match for me.” I touched my hand to my heart, “I believe that I could grow to love Itachi quite easily. I recognize that I will be forced to deal with the suspicion and distrust, but if Itachi and I can so easily become friends, then I believe that I can be welcomed into the clan eventually.” </p>
<p>Nawaki made a close-lipped smile in my direction before signing the paper in front of it. “I hope he will make you very happy, my little Sakura blossom.”</p>
<p>I struggled to contain the smile that was threatening to break across my face.</p>
<p>“Thank you Uncle Nawaki, Aunt Yue, I hope that I will make you proud.”</p>
<p>I bowed deeply before turning to leave, the smile I was preventing from appearing covering my entire face.</p>
<p>It was finally my chance.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Stay safe everyone!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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